Chipboard, a wood-based material, is frequently used in manufacturing office fittings and furniture. For this use the chipboard is provided with a decorative surface finish, for example wood vineer or plastic sheeting while separate edge lippings may be employed to cover the edges of the board. In particular, chipboard panels with rounded corners may be used to form the sides or ends of cupboards or desks and the edges of these panels may be deliberately left exposed giving a distinctive "slab-end" appearance. Board panels with rounded corners can be employed to give a distinctive design appearance.
Although chipboard is the only material used for slab-ends to fairly large office cabinets where a substantial load carrying capability is required, it is somewhat unsatisfactory in this application. With such cabinets, chipboard is liable to bow outwardly, it is difficult to provide satisfactory concealed fastenings into the chipboard, and the large panels required would add substantially to the weight of such cabinets. Office cabinets are nowadays often required to be able to receive internal fittings at a variety of positions. This cannot readily be achieved with a chipboard end panel, except by fitting a steel inner panel spaced inwardly from the inside face of a chipboard end panel and thereby increasing the bulk of the cabinet.
Steel has been used for cabinet ends, but it has then been customary for the cabinets to have right angled corners, and the slab end effect has not been sought.